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Business headlines
By SHARON L. BOND and PIPER JONES CASTILLO Detroit Hotel ready for May occupancyST. PETERSBURG -- The historic Detroit Hotel at 215 Central Ave. is nearing completion as a condominium building with 24 units. Ownership of the old hotel changed recently. Cameron Kuhn, the Orlando developer who started the reclamation project, sold his interest in it. Residents will begin moving in in May, according to John Bodziak, who represents the ownership group. Sales prices range from $159,000 to $290,000, Bodziak said. The units vary from 833 square feet to 1,499 square feet. Real estate agent Linda B. Charlton of Realty Executives said 18 of the units have been reserved by buyers. Some of the units received extra sound proofing because of the Jannus Landing concert venue, which is behind the Detroit. Bodziak said Jannus Landing will get a makeover beginning in June. Owners want to dress it up enough to have weddings there as well as concerts, he said. Low interest in Sister City programPINELLAS PARK -- Businesses in Pinellas Park don't have enough interest in the international Sister City Program to pursue getting connected with a foreign burg. Instead they would rather pursue relationships with organizations that could help them with international trade, according to Susan Walker, business and neighborhood development director for the city. Walker sent out 605 surveys to manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers in Pinellas Park, asking about their interest in the Sister City Program. Walker said the program would touch on international trade but groups such as Enterprise Florida or Tampa Bay Partnership, among others, would do more, she said. Agreement reached for CVS storeST. PETERSBURG -- The developer of a lot at 5858 Central Ave. says he has come to an agreement with the Sembler Co. about changing the zoning of a parcel near the Sembler headquarters to allow construction of a CVS drugstore beside a medical office building scheduled to be built. Sembler, which developed the BayWalk entertainment/retail complex in downtown St. Petersburg, has its offices across the street from the planned development. According to paperwork filed with the city, Sembler objected to a change in zoning from residential/office to commercial. If the change were permanent and CVS was not built, Sembler was concerned about what else might come in there, according to Clark D. East, of Central Development Enterprises LLC and information filed with the city. East said the change to commercial zoning would be for the construction of CVS only and if the drugstore is not built, the zoning would revert to residential/office. Plans for the office building are in the permitting stage with the city of St. Petersburg, East said. Plans for the CVS have not yet been submitted, he said. Sembler officials had no comment on the matter. Huge thrift store opens on 66th St.ST. PETERSBURG -- What the owners tout as the largest thrift store in the state of Florida, has opened at Phar-Mor Plaza. Global Thrift, specializing in clothing, linens and household goods, is now operating in the former site of Food Lion, a 30,000-square-foot storefront. Steve Baseman of Sarasota and Joseph Zigulich of Anna Maria Island also own Global Thrifts in Philadelphia and Boston. "To the best of our knowledge this is the largest of its kind in the state," said Baseman. "This will also not be our last store in the area," he said. "We selected moving into Pinellas County because the demographics look good to us and there's an opportunity for growth here." Global Thrift, 4380 66th St. N, is open seven days a week.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
